Arcticus Feverous ForeverisA true must on any polar expedition is the polar plunge. To be honest, I wasn’t too enthused to jump into icy water but I am so glad I did. Twice. Now, I’ve jumped into glacial lakes in Montana but the sheer thought of the Arctic water was daunting. I had no idea how cold I would really feel and I was happy to be pleasantly surprised. The water was only 38F in Greenland and 35F in Canada.
Karrat Fjord hosted our first experience. After a spectacular day of hiking and exploring, we changed into our suits. Walked up to the Aurora Lounge in our bathrobes and chanted “Polar Plunge” as a group on our way down to the zodiac gangway. In a line, we waited for our chance to jump into the water and then let the current carry us to the next gangway to climb out of the water.
My nerves were on high alert and I was so excited to get it over with. My turn came, I yelled “Pura Vida” and dove in. The initial shock was terrible but I quickly warmed up as my head came out of the water. I swam to the gangway and pulled myself out. Smiling from ear to ear, I was given a warm towel and a shot of vodka for a congratulatory toast. My energy also reset and I was ready for another adventure.
The group of plungers was large enough that we asked the staff to please try to fit in a second plunge in Canadian waters. We were able to receive this chance while cruising in Croker Bay. That afternoon, a smaller group took turns diving in. I thought “I must be crazy to do this twice” but it was still spectacular! Warm towels greeted us again with a treat of rum to warm us up.
We received our green glove and patch for our plunges. Proud to say we have done it twice!
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
4 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
5 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
1 week ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.